Unit Description

By 3028 the command was upgraded into a Regimental Combat Team. The unit was unique due its being only active Lyran Royal Guard unit not assigned to safeguard Tharkad, used as the Lyran high-command's "go-anywhere" trouble-shooter unit. [2]

History

In 2765 the LCAF High Command stationed the 3rd Royal Guards on Donegal, away from the Draconis Combine border. The regiment had had several "miscommunications" with the DCMS that caused tensions between the two realms to rise. By relocating them away from the border, the hope was that the situation would calm down. To coincide with the regiment's practice of using sword-fighting as a group calisthenic, the unit's commander asked the High Command to look into using melee weapons on their BattleMechs. These requests were denied as the High Command felt that physical attacks would become obsolete.[3]

The Succession Wars

The 3rd Royals were assigned to Coventry during the early Succession Wars.

Through skillful maneuvering and strong attacks, the 3rd Royals pushed two battalions of the elite 6th Sword of Light into a seacliff valley, which was shaped of a horseshoe. The 3rd Royals immediately blocked the valley's only entry before the Kurita-forces even noticed their desperate situation. The Guards' artillery units pounded into the valley until the barrels of the Long Tom and Sniper artillery glowed from overuse. The three day bombardment left the two battalions of the 6th Sword of Light all but destroyed. The Archon lead his forces personally into the now moon crated valley to confirm the destruction of Kurita forces. However, when he entered the valley, the Archon's Zeus stumbled on Vibromines, which destroyed his 'Mech, killing him.[4][5]

In 2995 Alonzo Barrett, a member of the 3rd Royal Guards, resigned to form a new command - a command that would become known as the mercenary unit Barrett's Fusiliers.[6]

Conflicts on Summer and Hesperus

In 3005, the elements of the Third Royals fought off an attack on the residence of the Duke of Summer on Summer, which was conducted by Draconis Combine forces. They found, that the Duke had been killed and his heir, Aldo Lestrade IV, who had been injured during the fighting.[7]

In 3019, the unit was dispatched to Hesperus II to defend the world against the invading Wolf's Dragoons mercenaries in service of House Marik. The defending Lyran units finally stopped the elite mercenary brigade in their tracks, though the Dragoons came very close to their objective.[8][9][10]

Operation Gotterdammerung

In August 3028, 3rd Royal Guards and 39 other regiments arrived in Buckminster system, where they encountered Kurita AeroSpace forces. The Royal's massive RCT landed on the Lexham Island just off the coast of continent of Sanjusendo. From the large island, Lt. General Steiner deployed the 1st Provisional Lyran Water Navy which provided escort for Royals and their other regiment in two amphibious assaults it conducted on Sanjusendo.

While some of Royal's infantry and tank regiments assaulted westerly Yeloff Peninsula to draw way some of the Kurita forces, the Royal Guard's 'Mechs walked shallow seabed assault Coloa Peninsula to the north.

The after taking the undefended peninsula, the 3rd Royals split into two sub-regiments proceeded to north Cord Mountains. The unit with its supporting regiments fended off ambushes as they moved to the city of Pontiac.

At the city, General Steiner detached Heavy 'Mech company with 14 other conventional regiments to take Pontiac while main body of his invasion force proceeded further into the continent. Pontiac's defending forces consisting of Heavy 'Mech company from 2nd Sword of Light and a trio of both tanks and infantry fended off Royals' attempt to subdue the city. The defender's artillery unit, proved to accurate to allow easy battle. To put down the artillery, the Royal's commanders called in an Aerospace fighter strike against Kurita’s guns to turn the tide for Lyran forces.

By October, Royal RCT's had made it way over the plains of Sanjusendo to mountains of Sunder's Pass and Greenson Pass. The 2nd Sword of Light's commanding officer, General Goshi Tengwan, was no longer hesitant on where invasion force was going to go, deployed his forces in the mountains. This presented the 3rd Royal RCT serious challenge of the campaign. Lt. General Steiner fearing prolonged fight in the mountains would allow for Kurita forces to arrive, he dispatched call to have the Elvidner deployed to Buckminster. The Elvidner, a special DropShip force, consisting of Fortress Class vessels, were deployed in the mountains where they used their special mounted Long Tom artillery guns bombard enemy forces. However, many of the Kurita less experienced militia forces were sent into panic as artillery of the Dropships begun fall. This even caused many of General Tengwan's veteran units to bolt as Lyran ground forces begun press the attack. Battles of the Passes proved to victory for the Royals, with Kurita survivors falling back to planet's capital, Buckminster City.

A week after the battles concluded, the 6th Arkab Legion dropped on planet to reinforce the beleaguered Kurita forces. Without additional reinforcements, Roman Steiner, had to conduct delaying tactics using his Lightning Companies, hovercraft units, and the Elvidner. On December 2nd, 20th Arcturan Guards, arrived on planet using their heavier BattleMechs to turn tide battle to the Lyran's favor. The Royals and Arcturans cut off the lighter Arkab Legion forces in their attempt to link up with forces held up in Buckminster City forcing them retreat to north. During fighting with the 6th Arkab, General Tengwan, ordered construction of fortification in defense of the city and had evacuated important personnel and documents via Aerospace craft.

Taking advantage of the situation, the 3rd Royals Aerospace Fighters conducted sorties over the city where they bombed its defenders. In addition to the 1st Provisional Lyran Water Navy's arrival helped complete the blockade of the city later in month.[11]

The siege of the city lasted four months. In June 3029, Lt. General Steiner, ordered the assault, feeling that 2nd Sword and its other forces were low enough on supplies to allow for improved chances for victory.

The 3rd Royals enter the city first, with 20nd Arcturans and other regiments behind them. However, in order commit enough forces to the attack, Steiner left light screen force to keep eye on Legion to the north. As the Royals pushed into city itself, they were ambushed by infantry forces hidden in the buildings of the city. The Kurita forces took advantage of 'Mechs lack maneuvering in tight city quarters. This slowed down the Royals greatly, and Legion launches a break out once Lyran turn their backs on them. The Royals were force turn back some of its forces to assist Arcturans whose rear-operating areas had came under attack by the Legion. This signal attack by 2nd Sword's 'Mech forces and in turn routed remaining Royal units in the city. Three days of fighting forced the Royals and its other allied units to high ground. With no hope now to take the city, General Steiner ordered the withdrawal of Lyran forces from the planet.[12]

FedCom Civil War

After Bulldog, the newly rebuilding 3rd Royals were deployed to Port Moseby, close to the disputed Lyons Thumb. Given the units' overzealous and aggressive nature, many expected them to blunder into conflict against the Draconis Combine elements in the Thumb, only for tensions between the Katherine and Victor Steiner-Davion to errupt into the FedCom Civil War first. [2][17]

Relocating from Port Moseby to Dalkeith, the 3rd Royal Guards arrived to reinforce the 13th Donegal Guards as they faced the 4th Deneb Light Cavalry.[18] After the 4th DLC was reinforced by the 4th Davion Guards the two Federated Suns units drew the LAAF forces on a chase across the continent of Dalkeith. The 3rd overran a small Allied delaying force at Point du Raz, only to discover that the AFFS units had withdrawn to another continent.[19] Pursuing the pro-Victor forces, they were joined by the 5th Alliance Guards. The 3rd Royals feinted towards the 4th DLC position, while the 5th Alliance Guards hit the Allied units. However, the DLC used the time to set up a large minefield via artillery. When the 3rd Royal Guard units tried to extract themselves from the minefields, artillery from the Federated Suns units pounded down on them. By the time the 3rd Royals were out of the trap, they had lost a quarter of their strength.[20] After regrouping for a few days, the 3rd Royals prepared to assault the lines of the 4th Davion Guards. They were completely unprepared for the 4th Davion Guards to launch their own attack, and the Royal Guards collapsed. Despite losing unit cohesion, the skilled warriors of the 3rd inflicted much more damage than they received, destroying the 4th Davion Guards.[21]

Remaining stationed on Dalkeith, the survivors of the 3rd rebuilt their unit yet again, but bitterness at the unit's isolated posting preventing them from accessing the largess provided to the other equally battered Royal Guard units raised questions to its loyalty to new Archon Peter Steiner-Davion. [22]

Jihad

Compared to the intense involvement of the 1st and 2nd Royal Guards during the Word of Blake occupation of Tharkad during the Jihad, the still recovering 2rd played at best a supporting role and was deployed a reserve force for many combat operations in the Lyran realm. Eventually falling back to recently recaptured Coventry to rebuild, a full battalion from the Qanatir MTM was transferred into the 2rd to help recoup its losses, much to the resentment of its older and more established troops. Even with this addition, by 3079 the unit was only at half strength. [23]

In 3085, the unit had two BattleMech battalions and the full complement of supporting forces that formed a Regimental Combat Team. The friction that existed between the newly transferred members and the old hands passed, leaving the 3rd in good shape on Tharkad to rebuild.[24]

Dark Age

The 3rd Royal Guard was stationed on Sargasso when the Jade Falcons jumped over the Commonwealth border. The 3rd fought a multi-planet withdrawal towards Tharkad, fighting the Clan all the way. When they arrived on Tharkad in 3142 they were at just over twenty percent of their nominal strength. Archon Trillian ordered the unit to travel to Hesperus II to put up a strong show of force that fooled Clan Jade Falcon and Clan Hell's Horses into thinking that the world was heavily defended.[25] Their presence was a gambit to keep the two Clans on the world until forces from Clan Wolf arrived and savaged both the Falcons and the Horses. The 3rd then took up a garrison on Donegal, with selected elements of the Third forming part of the garrison on Tharkad.[26]

Notes

Game Rules

In Field Manual: Lyran Alliance the unit is receives A Rate Equipment and all units are rated at the veteran skilled level.

Aerospace pilots receive -1 to all their piloting rolls when conducting special atmospheric special maneuvers.

The 3rd Royals while using Force Specific rules for scenarios gains a +1 initiative bonus for every four units that do not move onto the map at the start of scenario. At end of each turn, the controlling player rolls 2D6. At result of equal or lower than turn that is currently in play, the withheld 'Mech may enter map from the controlling player's home map edge.[35]